Dr. Meredith Thring was a visionary engineer and inventor who advocated for sustainable energy and believed in the ethical obligation of engineers to improve life for all, and especially for the underprivileged and disabled. Whilst at Malvern College Thring excelled academically, winning numerous Maths and Physics prizes, and obtained a Mathematical scholarship to Trinity College, Cambridge. He obtained a double first in Maths and Physics in 1937, before joining the Coal Utilisation Research Association and becoming the head of its Combustion Laboratory. In 1946 Thring headed up the newly formed Physics Research group of the British Iron and Steel Research Association before moving to the University of Sheffield in 1950 to take up a professorship and head up the Department of Fuel Technology and Chemical Engineering in 1953. Thring then moved to Queen Mary College of the University of London in 1964 to take up the headship of the Department of Mechanical Engineering where he remained until his retirement. Whilst working at these universities Thring was heavily involved in robotics and produced a stair-climbing robot, an autonomous fire-righting robot and one that could clear tables. Thring has authored and co-authored over fifteen books on energy, engineering and robotics and has produced over thirty UK and US patents ranging from heating appliances to fire detection apparatus, and dish-washing machines to walking tractors.